Tuesday September 10, 2008: Major Meltdown

Well everyone a I have talked to that has ridden across the US said I would have one or two of these on this trip!! So here is how my 1st one goes and I hope it's the Only one !!! I had ridden last night with this on my mind I love love love to ride at n night I have a light that Ashley Rigged that goes on my helmet and I can see a mile, I am eating dinner at a little local café having a hot bowl of soup. Always nice people around and they ask a lot of questions. One of the guys said you camping here tonight and I replied no I have at least 50 or 60 more miles to go and he replies (insert your best Fargo North Dakota dialect here) GEEEEEZZZZ I hope no one runs over ya and kills ya!!!! Now I am a MOJO kind of guy and that’s bad MOJO. He didn’t stop there now he is in his 60's or 70's and I didn’t think trying to be mean until he made his next statement !!! Yah I will call the weather man tonight and make sure you have the wind in your face all day tomorrow!! How much ya give me to drive ya to Fargo!!! I walked over to his table and said my classic Terry Ozborn line Yo buddy are you having a bad day or are you always this much of an asshole!!! Asked for my check and left!!

Now I haven't thought about it on the whole trip but last night every car (and there are a lot fewer at night than day time ) I could see this old guy Geese I hope no one runs over ya and kills ya!!! Ok back on track to camp last night look for a place to set upchurch and set up all is well I blow up mattress that I had repaired the hole in a few days earlier and it appears to be holding the air, It's in the low 30's and it seems a lot colder on a bike because of the wind, Well at 4 am my mattress is flat on the ground you lose 30% of your body heat to the ground if not elevated. Start breaking camp at around 7 am and head to the local café for bfast 1 hour later I get my food. I am looking at my map and I had miss read it earlier and it's not 30ish its 50ish miles to Fargo I start to ride and I forgot to put in my ear phones. Long story short they get wrapped up in my spokes and it takes me 30 minutes to get them out!!! If I would have had a blow torch I would have burned the bike up!! Get on the road and that butt did call the weather man The wind is not only in my face its 20+_ mph wind I am trucking at a whopping 6 miles per hour at this rate I will make Fargo in 10 hours so I start to have my own little pity party and no one to have it with me !! My cell phone is dead so I can't even call anyone to have one with me. My limit on pity parties is 10 minutes Then move on!! so I get that behind me and I decide that’s not enough I proceed to have 5 more 10 minute pity parties one after the other. Everything hurts wind in my face Screw it I am pulling me and my pity party over and I am taking a power nap in the ditch I can't even do that 3 people stop to see if I am dead!! I am surprised it's not the guy from last night saying Geeez I told ya this would happen LOL. So afar my power knap and pity parties were over I felt great and got back on the bike !! Although Windy I am back on top of the World and all is well!!!
I am in Fargo bike is getting the royal treatment and I am across the street eating and typing Have UI mentioned I am burning and avg of 7000 calories a day. I rode 400 miles in the 3 days prior to today and 50 + today I would rather ride the 400 miles again as to have to ride the same ride I had today Everyone goes through it if they ride enough they call if suffering on the bike!!!!
Live live!!!
Don’t just hang out and torch it LOL

myths abougt North Dakota
It is not flat !!! Not from a bicycle its not a lot of mountains but a lot of nice rolling terrian!!
It is not boring I found it very very beautiful. Now if every state had only mountains it would get boring after a while wouldn’t it:?? and all cows would have 2 leggs 6 feet long on there right side and the other 2 leggs would be only 2 feet long.

Myth the wind only blows out of the West LOL only when your going West my time in ND it only blew in !!!
Facts..l The people are very friendly and most will sytop to see if you are dead even though you are taking a knapp!!! 7 out of 10 will wave if waved to 1st That’s better than the other states so far.
Fact Gordon and lorna are great folks that took in a stranger and made sure I felt like I was at home. Thanks Guys

Yo Mark Wallace I am knocking on your door in a few states!!!
Pics
Bike getting a little very deserved love Yo Ashley no tires just a chain and rear cog they said the bike was better built than the ones thast usualy come through her cross country I already knew that!!!No flats no loose bolts nothing no problems Nice Job Brother!!! (are you picking up what I am laying down LOL)
A Huge thank you to my Beautiful Wife Esther and my ridding partner and great Friend Mark Trigg for the goodie bag sent to Fargo
Pics>>>>
That’s the bike shop its an old train station and way cool on the inside!!!
Did I make a wrong turn somewhere I think I am in Japan!!!